Psalms 35–28
Psalm 35:1-28
Psa.35.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לדוד: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ריבה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- יריבי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- לחמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
Parallels
- Exodus 14:14 (thematic): Egyptic deliverance motif: the LORD fights on behalf of the oppressed—parallels the petition ‘Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me.’
- Psalm 43:1 (verbal): Both plead for God to ‘vindicate’/‘plead my cause’ against hostile opponents—same courtroom/contend imagery.
- Psalm 7:8 (thematic): A call for divine judgment/contestation—‘The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me’ echoes the request that God contend with the psalmist’s adversaries.
- Isaiah 41:11–12 (allusion): Promise that those who strive against God’s people will be humiliated and overcome—parable language that undergirds the plea for the LORD to contend with enemies.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (thematic): Divine prerogative of vengeance—‘Vengeance is mine’ corresponds to the psalmist’s appeal for God to do the fighting and vindication.
Alternative generated candidates
- Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight those who fight against me.
- Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
Psa.35.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- החזק: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- מגן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצנה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקומה: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בעזרתי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 3:3 (verbal): Directly uses the image of God as a 'shield' and portrays God as the one who lifts the petitioner’s head—parallel language and plea for divine protection and help.
- Psalm 28:7 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD as 'my strength and my shield' and that he 'helps' the psalmist—same vocabulary of shield and divine assistance.
- Psalm 18:2 (thematic): Describes God as rock, fortress, deliverer and 'shield,' thematically echoing the request for God to take up defensive arms and rescue the petitioner.
- 2 Samuel 22:31 (verbal): Declares God to be a 'shield' for those who take refuge in him—verbal and theological parallel emphasizing God’s protective role in combat-like language.
Alternative generated candidates
- Take hold of shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
- Take hold of shield and buckler; arise to my help.
Psa.35.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והרק: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- חנית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וסגר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לקראת: PREP
- רדפי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לנפשי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg+PRON,1,sg
- ישעתך: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- אני: PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 14:13-14 (thematic): Both passages portray God as the defender who fights on behalf of the one pursued — 'Stand firm... see the salvation of the LORD' / 'The LORD will fight for you,' echoing the Psalm's plea to repel pursuers and secure deliverance.
- Exodus 15:2 (verbal): Uses the language of personal salvation — 'The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation' — paralleling the Psalm's address to the soul: 'I am your salvation.'
- Isaiah 12:2 (verbal): Isaiah's proclamation 'Behold, God is my salvation' closely parallels the Psalm's assurance given to the soul that God is its salvation, sharing the same personal, trust-filled confession.
- Psalm 18:39 (thematic): Speaks of being equipped for battle by God ('For you equipped me with strength for the battle') and of defeating adversaries — resonant with the Psalm's martial imagery ('draw out the spear') and request that God stop the pursuers.
Alternative generated candidates
- Draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me; say to my soul, "I will save you."
- Brandish spear and lance against those who pursue me; say to my soul, “I will save you.”
Psa.35.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יבשו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- ויכלמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מבקשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- יסגו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אחור: ADV
- ויחפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- חשבי: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- רעתי: NOUN,f,sg,suff1s
Parallels
- Ps.70:2 (verbal): Uses virtually the same petition—‘let them be ashamed/confounded that seek after my soul’—a near verbal parallel asking for the enemies’ shame and reversal.
- Ps.40:15 (quotation): Closely parallels the wording and theme: a plea that those who seek the psalmist’s life be put to shame and turned back (formulaic petition also found in Ps 35:4).
- Ps.7:16 (thematic): Speaks of an enemy’s mischief returning on his own head — the theme of evildoers’ plots backfiring and bringing shame mirrors Ps 35:4’s call for enemies’ reversal.
- Prov.26:27 (thematic): Proverb that one who digs a pit for another will fall into it himself; echoes the motif in Ps 35 of enemies’ plots (digging) turning into their own disgrace and downfall.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek my life; let them draw back and be disgraced who devise my hurt.
- May those who seek my life be put to shame and brought to dishonor; may those who plot my ruin turn back and be confounded.
Psa.35.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כמץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דוחה: VERB,qal,ptcp,ms,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same chaff-before-the-wind image to describe the fate of the wicked — identical metaphor of being driven away by wind.
- Psalm 83:13 (verbal): Prayer for God to make Israel's enemies like stubble/chaff before the wind — closely parallels both the petitionary tone and the wind/chaff metaphor.
- Job 21:18 (verbal): Explicitly compares the wicked to stubble and chaff driven away by the wind, a near-verbatim parallel of the imagery of sudden dispersion.
- Isaiah 37:36 (thematic): Describes the angel of the LORD executing judgment on an enemy camp — parallels the role of the angel of the LORD as pursuer/agent of divine destruction in Psalm 35:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them be like chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
- May they be like chaff before the wind; may the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Psa.35.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- דרכם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וחלקלקות: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ומלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- רדפם: VERB,qal,impf/juss,3,m,sg+3mp
Parallels
- Proverbs 4:19 (verbal): Uses the same metaphor of the wicked's path as darkness—'the way of the wicked is as darkness'—echoing 'let their way be dark.'
- Job 18:5-9 (thematic): Bildad's description of the fate of the wicked (light put out, driven into darkness, straitened steps/pursuit) parallels the psalm's imagery of dark, slippery ways and being pursued.
- Isaiah 37:36 (cf. 2 Kings 19:35) (allusion): The 'angel of the LORD' who smites the Assyrian host provides a prototypical instance of the divine messenger pursuing/enacting judgment on enemies, paralleling the psalmist's petition.
- Psalm 35:5 (structural): Immediate context within the same psalm: the surrounding petition calls for enemies to be scattered like chaff and for the angel of the LORD to chase them, forming a single imprecatory unit with v.6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let their way be dark and slippery; and let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
- May their way be darkness and slippery places; may the angel of the LORD pursue them.
Psa.35.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- חנם: ADV
- טמנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שחת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- רשתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,pl
- חנם: ADV
- חפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לנפשי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 57:6 (verbal): Nearly identical imagery and wording—enemies prepare a net and dig a pit for the psalmist; a close verbal parallel to Ps. 35:7.
- Psalm 140:5 (verbal): Speaks of the proud hiding a snare and spreading a net; uses the same snares/net imagery of hidden traps laid by the wicked.
- Psalm 141:9 (verbal): A petition to be kept from the snares and gins set by evildoers—themewise closely related to the plea against hidden nets and pits in Ps. 35:7.
- Proverbs 26:27 (thematic): Proverbial statement that one who digs a pit will fall into it; reflects the broader motif of traps and the fate of those who set them.
- Genesis 37:24 (thematic): Narrative instance of enemies (Joseph’s brothers) casting him into a pit—concrete illustration of the motif of digging a pit for another person as found in Ps. 35:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- For without cause they hid a net for me; they dug a pit for my soul without cause.
- For without cause they hid for me their net; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
Psa.35.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תבואהו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- שואה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ורשתו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- אשר: PRON,rel
- טמן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תלכדו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בשואה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יפל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 7:15-16 (verbal): Same imagery of a pit/net that the evildoer digs for others turning back on him — his trap becomes his own downfall (very close verbal and thematic parallel).
- Psalm 9:15 (9:16 MT) (verbal): Speaks of nations sinking into the pit they made and being caught in their own net — the motif of enemies falling into their hidden snare echoes Ps 35:8.
- Proverbs 26:27 (thematic): Proverbial statement that one who digs a pit will fall into it; parallels the moral/causal theme that malicious schemes rebound on their makers.
- Psalm 64:7 (thematic): Describes God turning the enemies' own devices back upon them so that their nets (plots) ensnare them — thematically similar focus on plots being confounded and perpetrators falling into their own snares.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let ruin be their reward; let them not know it. Let the net they hid ensnare them; let them fall into the ruin.
- Let ruin seize them unawares; let the net they hid ensnare them; into the ruin they prepared let them fall.
Psa.35.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונפשי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:1cs,pref:CONJ
- תגיל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- תשיש: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- בישועתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 13:5-6 (verbal): Both speak of rejoicing in God's salvation—"my heart/soul rejoices in your salvation" mirrors the language and confidence in divine deliverance.
- Psalm 51:12 (verbal): Appeals for the 'joy of your salvation'—the phrasing links the experience of joy directly to God's saving activity.
- Psalm 118:14 (thematic): Declares the LORD as strength and salvation; celebrates deliverance and praise, thematically aligning with rejoicing in God's salvation.
- Habakkuk 3:18 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language—"yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will be joyful in God my Savior"—a clear verbal/thematic parallel about joy in God as savior.
Alternative generated candidates
- And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; it shall exult in his salvation.
- Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; it shall exult in his salvation.
Psa.35.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- עצמותי: NOUN,f,pl,poss1
- תאמרנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- כמוך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מציל: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- מחזק: VERB,piel,ptc,3,m,sg
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ועני: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg
- ואביון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מגזלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 15:11 (verbal): Shares the distinctive refrain 'Who is like you?' (מִי כָּמֹכָה/מי כמוך), praising YHWH's uniqueness and mighty acts—verbal parallel of exaltation.
- Psalm 72:12-14 (thematic): Speaks of God delivering the needy and poor from oppressors—closely parallels the Psalm 35 emphasis on God rescuing the helpless from the strong.
- Psalm 146:7-9 (thematic): Describes the LORD as defender and provider for the oppressed, hungry, prisoners, and needy—broader catalogue of the same theme of divine rescue and care for the poor.
- Micah 7:18 (verbal): Uses the rhetorical question 'Who is a God like you?' to praise God's saving/forgiving character—verbal and theological affinity with Psalm 35's exclamation of YHWH's uniqueness as deliverer.
Alternative generated candidates
- All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you, who rescues the poor from one too strong for him, the poor and needy from the robber?"
- All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, who rescues the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
Psa.35.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יקומון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- ישאלוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,acc1cs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 19:16-19 (structural): Prescribes the legal procedure when a witness rises to accuse someone and the penalty for a false witness — a direct legal counterpart to the situation described in Ps 35:11.
- Proverbs 14:5 (verbal): Contrasts a faithful witness with a false one; uses similar language about false testimony and the character of a lying witness.
- Psalm 109:2-3 (verbal): A closely related psalmistic complaint: enemies and lying/false tongues rise against the psalmist, echoing the same imagery of false witnesses charging the speaker with things he did not know.
- Mark 14:56 (allusion): At Jesus’ trial many false witnesses came forward to bear testimony against him — a New Testament instance of the same motif of false accusers rising up.
Alternative generated candidates
- False witnesses rise up; they ask of me things I knew not.
- False witnesses rise up; men of violence ask of me things I know not.
Psa.35.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישלמוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,obj:1,sg
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- טובה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- שכול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנפשי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Ps.109.5 (verbal): Nearly identical complaint: enemies repay the psalmist's good with evil (’they have rewarded me evil for good’), a direct verbal parallel in language and theme.
- Prov.25.21-22 (thematic): Wisdom literature counsels the opposite response—feed and give drink to your enemy—highlighting the moral contrast to those who repay good with evil; this proverb is later cited in NT ethics.
- Rom.12.17-21 (thematic): Paul exhorts believers not to repay evil for evil but to overcome evil with good, addressing the very injustice the psalmist laments and drawing on the same wisdom tradition.
- 1 Pet.3.9 (thematic): Peter warns against returning evil for evil or insult for insult and urges blessing instead, echoing the ethical response contrasted with the psalmist’s experience of being repaid evil for good.
Alternative generated candidates
- They repay me evil for good, robbing my soul of peace.
- They repay me evil for good, despoiling my soul.
Psa.35.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- בחלותם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- לבושי: NOUN,m,sg,poss1
- שק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עניתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בצום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- ותפלתי: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- על: PREP
- חיקי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- תשוב: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 69:10 (verbal): Speaker describes afflicting his soul with fasting in distress—language and idea closely echoing 'I afflicted my soul with fasting.'
- 2 Samuel 12:15-16 (thematic): David fasts and prays earnestly for his sick child—parallels intercessory fasting and prayer on behalf of the ill.
- Jonah 3:5-8 (thematic): The people of Nineveh put on sackcloth and proclaimed a fast—connects sackcloth + fasting as penitential response to crisis and appeal to God.
- Joel 2:12 (thematic): A call to return to the LORD with fasting, weeping and mourning—links fasting and contrite lamentation with prayerful turning to God.
- Lamentations 2:10 (thematic): Images of sackcloth, dust, and mourning among the people—parallels the motif of wearing sackcloth as an outward sign of grief and supplication.
Alternative generated candidates
- But I, when they were sick, put on sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting; my prayer returned into my own bosom.
- But I—when they were sick—I clothed myself with sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned to my own bosom.
Psa.35.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כרע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כאח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- התהלכתי: VERB,hitpael,perf,1,_,sg
- כאבל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- קדר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שחותי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 35:13 (structural): Immediate context: the previous verse describes David's fasting, sackcloth and mourning for the sick—verse 14 continues the same lamenting behavior, portraying him as one who mourns for a friend or mother.
- Psalm 69:10–11 (verbal): Shares language and theme of a righteous sufferer who weeps, fasts and is reproached for his mourning — a close verbal and thematic parallel to David's self-humbling and lament.
- Job 2:11–13 (thematic): Job’s friends come to sit with him in silence and mourn his affliction; parallels the motif of companionate mourning and the expression of grief in response to suffering.
- Jeremiah 9:17–18 (thematic): Calls for the mourning women and expresses raw lamentation ('Woe is me for my hurt'), echoing the public/communal dimension of mourning found in Psalm 35:14.
- Isaiah 61:2–3 (thematic): Promises to ‘comfort all that mourn’ and to exchange beauty for ashes — a theological parallel that places personal mourning (as in Ps 35:14) within the wider biblical motif of lament and divine consolation.
Alternative generated candidates
- I went about as one who mourns for his mother; I bowed down, oppressed as one who laments.
- I acted as one who mourns for a friend; I went about bowed down, as one who laments his mother.
Psa.35.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובצלעי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+suff1
- שמחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,mp
- ונאספו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- נאספו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- נכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- קרעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- דמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3ms
Parallels
- Psalm 22:12-13 (thematic): Enemies surround and threaten the psalmist—imagery of being beset and attacked (e.g., ‘strong bulls... they gaped upon me’), paralleling the sense of hostile crowds gathering against him.
- Psalm 31:13 (verbal): Speaks of conspirators gathering and devising against the speaker (‘They take counsel together against me, to take away my life’), closely matching the language of enemies assembling against the psalmist.
- Psalm 69:4 (verbal): Describes enemies who hate and reproach without cause and rejoice at the sufferer's misfortune—echoing the theme of hostile rejoicing and unjust attack found in Ps 35:15.
- Psalm 109:3 (verbal): Speaks of being surrounded by hostile words and attacks (‘They compassed me about with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause’), a close verbal and thematic parallel to enemies gathering and assailing the psalmist.
- John 15:25 (quotation): Jesus cites the LXX/OT tradition (‘They hated me without cause’) to explain hostile behavior toward him—an NT quotation/allusion that reflects the same motif of unjust hatred and rejoicing over another's suffering.
Alternative generated candidates
- They rejoiced and gathered themselves; hostile bands assembled against me—men I had never known tore at me and showed no pity.
- But when I stumbled they rejoiced and gathered themselves; attackers assembled against me—though I knew it not; they tore at me and would not cease.
Psa.35.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בחנפי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לעגי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעוג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרק: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- שנימו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 22:7-8 (verbal): The psalmist is mocked and derided—'all who see me mock me... they shake the head'—a close verbal/thematic echo of being derided and gnashed at in Ps 35:16.
- Psalm 109:25 (verbal): 'When they saw me they stared and moved away; they gnashed their teeth and wagged the head' (cf. mockery and hostile gestures like gnashing/shaking in Ps 35:16).
- Job 30:1 (thematic): Job laments being scorned and mocked by those younger than he—paralleling the theme of hostile mockers and derision found in Ps 35:16.
- Luke 23:35 (allusion): Onlookers and leaders mock Jesus at the crucifixion—a New Testament instance of scorn and derision that echoes the psalmic motif of people deriding the righteous (cf. Ps 35:16).
Alternative generated candidates
- With mocking they derided me; they gnashed at me with their teeth.
- With insulting mockery they derided me; with scorn they gnashed their teeth at me.
Psa.35.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- כמה: ADV
- תראה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- השיבה: VERB,hifil,impv,2,m,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- משאיהם: NOUN,m,pl,poss3mp
- מכפירים: VERB,pi'el,ptc,3,m,pl
- יחידתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 22:21 (verbal): Both plead for rescue from a lion’s mouth—same imagery of being saved from deadly, predatory foes (Hebrew uses lion-language of deliverance).
- Psalm 13:1 (thematic): Opens with the same rhetorical cry 'How long, O LORD?'—a plaintive appeal for God’s attention and deliverance from prolonged suffering.
- Psalm 7:2 (verbal): Uses lion imagery threatening the psalmist's life/soul ('lest he tear my soul like a lion') and asks for divine deliverance from violent enemies, paralleling the danger and plea in Ps 35:17.
- Psalm 70:1 (thematic): A short urgent cry—'Make haste, O God, to deliver me'—reflects the same immediate request for rescue from adversaries found in Ps 35:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- O LORD, how long will you see? Rescue my soul from their destructions, my one life from the lions.
- O LORD, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions; deliver my life from the lions.
Psa.35.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אודך: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- בקהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- בעם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- עצום: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אהללך: VERB,qal,impf,1,com,sg+PRSOBJ,2,ms
Parallels
- Ps.22:22 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and imagery: “I will declare your name… in the midst of the congregation I will praise you,” echoing public praise in the assembly.
- Heb.2:12 (quotation): New Testament citation of Ps.22:22 (the same congregational‑praise formula), applying the motif of public praise to Jesus and showing continuity with OT language.
- Ps.40:9-10 (thematic): Speaks of proclaiming God’s righteousness and salvation openly—‘I do not hide your deliverance… I will not conceal your steadfast love’—a theme of public declaration similar to Ps.35:18.
- Ps.107:32 (thematic): Commands extolling God ‘in the congregation of the people’ and praising him publicly, closely matching the communal/pubic praise motif of Ps.35:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will give you thanks in the great congregation; I will praise you among a mighty people.
- I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you among a mighty throng.
Psa.35.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- ישמחו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- איבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss=1s
- שקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שנאי: NOUN,m,pl,poss1
- חנם: ADV
- יקרצו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
Parallels
- Ps.69:4 (verbal): Uses the same phrase about being hated “without cause” (Heb. שׂנְאֵי חֵין/שנאי חנם) and the complaint that enemies act unjustly toward the psalmist.
- John 15:25 (quotation): Jesus (and John) cites the line “They hated me without a cause” as fulfillment of Scripture—an explicit New Testament quotation/allusion to the psalmic lament.
- Ps.41:7 (thematic): Speaks of those who hate and whisper against the sufferer—paralleling the psalmist’s experience of hostile, scheming enemies who take pleasure in his misfortune.
- Ps.109:3 (thematic): Describes enemies who speak lies and open their mouths against the sufferer; thematically connected in portraying false, malicious adversaries who rejoice over the victim’s harm.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let not those who are my enemies without cause rejoice over me, nor let those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
- Do not let those who are my enemies without cause rejoice over me; do not let those who hate me without cause gloat.
Psa.35.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ידברו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- רגעי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- מרמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יחשבון: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Ps.12:2 (verbal): Nearly identical phrasing: 'they speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts'—same contrast between outward peace-talk and inward deceit.
- Jer.9:8 (verbal): Very close verbal imagery: 'their tongue is a deadly arrow...it speaks peace to its neighbor with its lips, but in its heart it plans deceit,' echoing the deceitful peace-talk of Ps 35:20.
- Ps.55:21 (verbal): Describes smooth, friendly speech that hides hostility ('his speech was smoother than butter, yet war was in his heart'), paralleling the theme of duplicitous words in Ps 35:20.
- Prov.26:24-26 (thematic): Warns that kind or flattering words can conceal hatred and malice ('when he speaks kindly, do not believe him'/'he who hates disguises it with his lips'), thematically aligned with speaking peace while plotting harm.
Alternative generated candidates
- For they do not speak peace; on the quiet of the land they devise words of deceit.
- For they do not speak peace, but devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
Psa.35.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירחיבו: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- פיהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- האח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- האח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ראתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עינינו: NOUN,f,pl,poss_1pl
Parallels
- Psalm 109:2 (verbal): Speaks of hostile mouths opened against the psalmist—'the mouth of the wicked...are opened against me'—a close verbal parallel to enemies opening their mouths and speaking against him.
- Psalm 22:7–8 (thematic): Observers mock and deride the sufferer ('All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me'), echoing the taunting and gloating tone of 'Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it.'
- Psalm 31:13 (thematic): Describes whispering, plotting and hostile words from enemies surrounding the speaker—another theme of enemies gloating and speaking against the righteous sufferer.
- Luke 23:35 (allusion): Onlookers and rulers mock Jesus at the cross ('He saved others; let him save himself'), reflecting the New Testament fulfilment/recapitulation of taunting and gloating found in the Psalms.
- Psalm 35:26 (structural): Within the same psalm the poet prays for shame on those who cry 'Aha! Aha!'—a direct structural echo and immediate literary parallel to v.21's taunt.
Alternative generated candidates
- They open wide their mouths against me; they say, "Aha! Aha! Our eyes have seen it!"
- They open wide their mouths against me and say, “Aha! Aha! Our own eyes have seen it.”
Psa.35.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ראיתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תחרש: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- תרחק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ממני: PREP,suff,1,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 22:19 (verbal): Contains the plea 'Be not thou far from me, O LORD'—a near verbal and thematic match to the petition that God not be silent or distant.
- Psalm 38:21 (verbal): Directly petitions 'Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me,' echoing the request in Ps 35:22 for God's nearness and intervention.
- Psalm 71:12 (verbal): Begins with 'O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me,' using the same urgent appeal for God not to be distant.
- Psalm 10:1 (thematic): Expresses the complaint 'Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou in times of trouble?,' thematically paralleling the sense of divine silence and distance in Ps 35:22.
- Matthew 27:46 (thematic): Jesus' cry 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' reflects the intense experience of divine absence found in laments like Ps 35:22 (though here applied in the context of the Passion).
Alternative generated candidates
- You have seen, O LORD; do not keep silent; O Lord, do not be far from me.
- You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent; O Lord, be not far from me.
Psa.35.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- העירה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והקיצה: CONJ+VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,sg
- למשפטי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ואדני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- לריבי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
Parallels
- Psalm 44:23 (verbal): Both verses use an imperative to rouse God—'Awake'/'Awake, why sleepest thou?'—calling God to arise and act on behalf of the psalmist.
- Psalm 10:12 (verbal): Similar petitionary formula 'Arise, O LORD' asking God to rise up and defend the oppressed, matching the plea for divine intervention and judgment.
- Psalm 7:6 (verbal): Both call on God to 'arise' against enemies and to execute judgment—sharing the courtroom/vengeance motif of divine awakening and vindication.
- Psalm 35:1 (structural): Within the same psalm the opening plea to 'plead my cause' parallels 35:23's request that God awaken to the speaker's judgment and dispute, framing the whole song as a cry for vindication.
Alternative generated candidates
- Awake and rise to my judgment, God and Lord; to my cause, O my God and my Lord.
- Awake and rouse yourself to my judgment, my God and my Lord; contend for my cause.
Psa.35.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שפטני: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- כצדקך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,ms
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- ישמחו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 7:8 (verbal): Both plead for divine judgment framed by righteousness: 'judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness' echoes Ps.35:24's 'vindicate/judge me in your righteousness.'
- Psalm 43:1 (verbal): Directly echoes the petition 'Vindicate me, O God' (זכני אלהים), paralleling Ps.35:24's call for vindication by God.
- Psalm 26:1 (verbal): A similar courtroom-style plea — 'Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in my integrity' — matching the appeal to God's justice/righteousness in Ps.35:24.
- Micah 7:8 (verbal): Shares the prohibition against enemies rejoicing over the sufferer: 'Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy' parallels Ps.35:24's 'let them not rejoice over me.'
Alternative generated candidates
- Judge me according to your righteousness, O LORD my God; let them not rejoice over me.
- Judge me according to your righteousness, O LORD my God; let them not rejoice over me.
Psa.35.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- בלבם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,pl
- האח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נפשנו: NOUN,f,sg,prsuf_1pl
- אל: NEG
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- בלענוהו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 22:7-8 (verbal): Mockers deride the sufferer with words like “let him trust in the LORD; let him deliver him,” closely paralleling the taunting / ‘Aha!’ language when the righteous seem defeated.
- Psalm 41:7-8 (thematic): Enemies whisper together and plot against the psalmist, a similar scene of secret gloating and wishing the psalmist’s downfall.
- Job 16:7-10 (thematic): Job depicts adversaries gaping at and conspiring against him—an image of being ‘devoured’ or celebrated in his misfortune akin to “we have swallowed him.”
- Matthew 27:39-43 / Luke 23:35 (thematic): New Testament accounts of onlookers and rulers mocking Jesus (“He saved others; let him save himself”) echo the motif of enemies gloating over an apparent defeat.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them not say in their hearts, "Aha! Our desire!" Let them not say, "We have swallowed him up."
- Do not let them say in their hearts, “Aha! our desire!” or cry, “We have swallowed him up.”
Psa.35.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יבשו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- ויחפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- יחדו: ADV
- שמחי: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- רעתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ילבשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכלמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- המגדילים: VERB,hif,ptc,3,m,pl,def
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Ps.35:4 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: petitions that the enemies who seek the psalmist’s life be confounded and put to shame—same vocabulary and intent.
- Ps.109:29 (verbal): Uses nearly identical language asking that adversaries be confounded, covered with shame and reproach for seeking the psalmist’s harm.
- Obadiah 1:12-13 (thematic): Condemns those who gloat over a brother’s calamity and pronounces judgment—addresses rejoicing at another’s misfortune and ensuing shame/punishment.
- Isaiah 41:11-12 (thematic): God promises that those hostile to his people will be put to shame and confounded—similar theme of opponents being disgraced for opposing the righteous.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them be put to shame and confounded together who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who exalt themselves against me.
- Let them be ashamed and turned back together who rejoice at my misfortune; let them be clothed with shame and disgrace who exalt themselves against me.
Psa.35.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ירנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וישמחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- חפצי: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- צדקי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- תמיד: ADV
- יגדל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- החפץ: PTCP,qal,act,m,sg
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 145:3 (verbal): Both verses call for magnifying/praising the LORD continually—"Let the LORD be magnified" echoes "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised."
- Psalm 147:11 (thematic): Psalm 35:27 speaks of the LORD delighting in the welfare/peace of his servant; Psalm 147:11 likewise affirms that the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him and hope in his steadfast love.
- Zephaniah 3:17 (allusion): Both passages emphasize God's rejoicing over and delight in his people—"He will rejoice over you with gladness" parallels the theme of God delighting in the well‑being of his servant.
- Psalm 34:2 (verbal): The summons to rejoicing—"let them shout and be glad"—parallels Psalm 34:2's call for the humble to hear and be glad, linking communal praise in response to God's deliverance.
- Psalm 71:23 (thematic): Both verses pair joyful shouts with continual praise to God—"my lips shall shout for joy" and the insistence that people continually declare the LORD's greatness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let those who favor my vindication shout for joy and be glad; let them continually say, "May the LORD be exalted, who delights in the welfare of his servant."
- Let those who desire my vindication sing and be glad; let them say continually, “May the LORD be magnified, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
Psa.35.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולשוני: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- תהגה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- צדקך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- כל: DET
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- תהלתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Psalm 34:1 (verbal): Both verses express continual praise 'at all times' or 'continually in my mouth,' closely paralleling the language of ongoing oral praise.
- Psalm 71:8 (verbal): Uses near-identical imagery of the mouth/tongue being filled with praise 'all the day,' echoing the same petition for continual proclamation of God's righteousness.
- Psalm 145:2 (thematic): Declares daily blessing and praise of God's name; shares the theme of persistent, day-by-day praise of God's qualities.
- Psalm 104:33 (structural): Speaks of singing praise 'as long as I live,' paralleling the psalm's structural emphasis on sustained, lifelong vocal praise of God.
Alternative generated candidates
- And my tongue shall tell of your righteousness all day long; your praise shall be continually on my lips.
- And my tongue shall recount your righteousness all day long—your praise.
Of David. Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.
Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
Draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me; say to my soul, 'I will save you.'
Let them be ashamed and brought to dishonor who seek my life; let them turn back and be put to confusion who devise my hurt.
Let them be like chaff before the wind; let the angel of the LORD drive them away.
Let their way be dark and slippery; let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
For without cause they hid a net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
Let ruin take their net; let what they hid ensnare them; into destruction let them fall—unaware. And my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; it shall be glad in his salvation.
All my bones shall say, 'O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from the stronger, the poor and needy from him who plunders him?'
Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask of me things I knew not.
They repay me evil for good, leaving my soul bereaved. But I—when they were sick—I clothed myself in sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.
I walked about as one who laments for a friend; I bowed down, grieving as one who mourns for a mother.
Yet when I stumbled they rejoiced; they gathered themselves together—those I did not know assembled against me; they attacked me and would not cease.
With insolent mockery they derided me; their teeth they gnashed against me.
O LORD, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their rages, my precious life from the lions.
I will give you thanks in the great assembly; I will praise you among a mighty throng.
Let not those who hate me without cause rejoice over me, nor let those who breathe out malice against me wink the eye.
For they do not speak peace; but against the quiet in the land they devise deceitful words.
They opened wide their mouths against me and said, 'Aha! Aha! Our eyes have seen it.'
O LORD, you have seen—do not be silent; O LORD, be not far from me.
Arise, awake to my judgment; O God, plead my cause; O LORD, my God, and my defender.
Judge me, O LORD my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not be glad over me.
Let them not say in their hearts, 'Aha! Our desire!' Let them not say, 'We have swallowed him up.'
Let them be ashamed and confounded together who rejoice at my hurt; let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who exalt themselves against me.
Let those who favor my vindication shout for joy and be glad; and let them always say, 'May the LORD be magnified, who delights in the welfare of his servant.' And my tongue shall tell of your righteousness all the day long; your praise shall be continually in my mouth.